


First Times

by spaceliquid



Category: The Banner Saga (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, First Time, Fluff, Humor, Spoilers for TBS3, Surprise pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 12:52:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17550029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spaceliquid/pseuds/spaceliquid
Summary: When your entire race has just recently been created, everything around you is new and unfamiliar. Besides, the jealous god didn't brief the dredge on things like positive emotions, love and baby-making.Raze and Bellower have to discover it all by themselves.





	First Times

**Author's Note:**

> [pollution-of-subterranean-waters](http://pollution-of-subterranean-waters.tumblr.com/) noticed a certain plot hole in the games' story: if the Valka taught the dredge how to procreate in exchange for peace, how come Raze and Bellower already had a child during the war?  
> So of course I had to write a fic about it. 
> 
> I am using the human/varl names for the Sundr, since they are the only ones we know.  
> Big thanks to Pollution, who was my first reader and came up with some great ideas for this story.

The world above was full of wonderful and amazing things.

Warm rays of bright sun, yellow like the sculptor eyes; the vast blue sky with all its different states; the change of seasons; gentle breeze, jingling waterfalls, grass and leaves of strange green color. All of this was new and beautiful.

And it made Bellower feel... strange.

Before, all he knew was either fiery rage and battle lust, or the oblivion of sleep. He was the luckier one among his people; as the mighty Sundr, he got to listen to their creator in person. The god told him this anger was his purpose: the only thing to fuel him and drive him forward. The meaning of his existence. And he was to lead his people to the surface, to destroy the weak and pathetic creatures that inhabited it.

But now that he actually walked the surface, something changed. He still led his legions to war, still felt the same rage towards his foes. Yet this rage was constantly being pushed aside by other... things.

The first time Bellower noticed it was when he ordered a retreat. He could've continued throwing his troops at the varl forces, and sooner or later he would have prevailed – but it would have cost him half of his army.

The soldiers he ate with and talked with. Soldiers who looked up to him and were eager to follow any order. Who were ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater cause that – they were sure – their Sundr embodied.

Bellower ordered a retreat, and it felt.. good.

He couldn't find words to describe that feeling except for “good”. But before “good” was used to describe things like victory and fulfilling their purpose. Bellower wasn't fulfilling it by retreating, but it felt wonderful. Like sitting down after the long march, like washing his face with cool water. It changed the way he planned battles: now he was actively trying to get as few of his men killed as possible. He wanted to see them alive, to eat together with them again.

And then there was Raze.

Raze was a whole pile of new feelings. Bellower was fairly sure she wasn't supposed to cause all of this. What she was supposed to do was destroying the fortifications, so that Bellower could enter the fortresses with his troops and finish the job. To be fair, she still did it, and she did it well, and they worked great together.

But he wasn't supposed to feel so good whenever she glanced at him. Like the yellow sun of the surface really shone from her eyes, filling Bellower with its warmth. Her triumphant laughter whenever she brought down a wall – that wasn't supposed to make Bellower forget about the battle and look at her instead of leading the charge. He caught himself settling close to her in camp; every minute he spent with Raze somehow felt three times as good, while having to be away from her felt terrible.

Bellower didn't know what was up with that, but he decided he very much liked it.

Besides, all these new feelings still made him want to win the war. He wanted to crush the varl and humans, so that he and his people could live on the surface – and so that he could hear Raze's victorious laughter again. She liked the surface too, she told him, and Bellower promised himself that he will make sure she could stay here forever.

***

One of the first new words Raze learned was the word “fun”.

Fun was when she hurled a giant firestone, and it exploded, crushing a freshly built varl wall like a pile of sticks. Fun was when she stepped on a thin ice over a puddle and it cracked, leaving a web of shards.

Fun was... no, spending time with Bellower was slightly different. Raze couldn't quite put her finger on what the difference was, but she _knew_ it was something else. Although it also gave her that funny bubbly feeling in her stomach.

She showed him the trick with the thin ice; he really liked it. That made Raze feel funny too. Warm and nice, even though they were in the middle of an icy wasteland.

All of this was new, and Raze always enjoyed learning about new things. In fact, she was actively seeking them - that was also fun.

And this was why she was currently crouching in the thickets, deep in the forest that started in the valley and climbed up the mountainside. Bellower was crouched next to her, looking extremely awkward in his massive armor and the horned helmet.

“Look, I swear it's worth it,” Raze told him, feeling a little guilty for dragging him into such an uncomfortable situation. “The deer have been acting all crazy, hitting each other with their horns. We just need to wait a little, I'm sure they'll come.”

Bellower just nodded, shuffling on the old dried leaves. Tiny six-legged creatures were crawling on the ground, and Raze got so distracted by watching them that she flinched when Bellower grabbed her arm.

“Humans,” he whispered, brows drawn together.

Raze cast a glance at the clearing where she saw the deer fight the day before, but yes, this time it was a couple of humans – a male and a female. They strolled into the clearing, oblivious about two Sundr watching them.

Raze's hand was already reaching for her sling, as she imagined how fun it would be to make the humans scream and run away in terror at the sudden appearance of not one, but two Sundr, when the male human wrapped his arms around the female's waist and pressed his mouth to her mouth. The female giggled and embraced the male in return.

Raze forgot about her sling, familiar excitement bubbling in her chest. This was something new! She didn't see the humans do that before. What was it for? She made a “hush” gesture at Bellower and sat completely still, hoping that the bushy and colorful autumn flora was covering them well enough.

Then the weird part began. The male started ruffling the female's clothes, rubbing her chest and thighs. The female didn't seem to mind, leaning into the touches and rubbing the male in return.

Then they took the clothes off altogether and lay down on the ground. The male started fondling the female's breasts, while she moaned and stroke him between his legs.

Raze touched her own chest armor unconsciously. She had breasts too, although she didn't know what they were for. Was this how she was supposed to use them? What was the goal?

The female seemed to like it, though. As did the male.

What the humans did next was even more puzzling.

“That looks... uncomfortable,” Bellower whispered to her, appearing quite concerned.

“And ridiculous,” Raze agreed, eyed glued to the humans. Strangely enough, they were clearly enjoying themselves.

“Don't you have that dangly thing too?” Raze whispered, leaning to her companion.

“Yes, but that's not how you use it!” Bellower paused. “Or is it?”

“Why would you even... put it there?” Raze shifted, suddenly feeling very warm. Her insides clenched in a weird way. Weird, but not unpleasant. And these sensations increased as the sounds the humans were making became louder and louder.

Now it started feeling slightly uncomfortable. And wet, for some reason. And then Bellower touched her hand, and Raze almost jumped, like a small lightning bolt stroke her. She turned her head and met Bellower's gaze; he was staring at her with eyes wide open.

They didn't notice that their movements kind of destroyed their cover. Nothing mattered but that strange force that drew Raze and Bellower together.

Until they heard two high-pitched screams. This broke the magic of the moment; the two Sundr tore their gazes from each other, only to see the backs of the fleeing humans. Their clothing was left scattered across the clearing.

Raze stood up, brushing the old leaves from her skirt. Bellower followed, although he had to untangle a long thin branch from his helmet's horns first.

“I think I know why they were doing this,” Raze proclaimed, straightening her back.

“Really? Then tell me, because I have no idea.” Bellower looked annoyed, throwing the broken branch aside.

Raze raised a finger.

“They were doing it for fun!”

She was pretty proud of her deductions. And the new unfamiliar fun could mean only one thing.

“We gotta try it.”

***

“Ow! Ow, not there, you oaf!”

“Sorry...” Bellower muttered, immediately drawing back. This weird activity turned out to be much more complicated than he expected. Unfortunately, Raze wasn't the one who gave up easily.

“It must be one of these holes,” she said, sitting up and crossing her arms on her chest, brows furrowed. “But all of them hurt!”

“Maybe we should start the way they started?” Bellower suggested. “I mean, they did some other stuff in the beginning.”

“You are NOT putting your mouth on mine.” Raze touched her mask that safely covered her face. “Ew.”

“Ew,” Bellower agreed. He already felt quite exposed, with his tunic and pieces of armor off and his private parts on display, but got constantly distracted by the fact that Raze was in the same state of semi-undress. His thoughts somehow slowed down whenever his gaze landed on her obsidian skin and all those parts he usually didn't get to see.

“Fine. Let's try that other thing.” Raze moved closer to him, and all thoughts vanished from Bellower's head altogether.

“They did something like this,” Raze said, cupping her own breasts. Now words abandoned Bellower too, and the only sound he managed to make was a muffled rumble. He raised his hands, and Raze put her own away, giving him space.

Proportion-wise, her breasts were smaller than the human female's, but Bellower didn't care. He knew that all women had them, yet he never questioned their purpose before. They turned out to be soft and fit into his palms perfectly. Raze giggled when he stroked them.

“How does it feel?” he finally managed to ask after a couple of failed attempts.

Raze tilted her head.

“Good? I guess? Funny good.” She squirmed, and that movement caused a sudden surge of fire down in Bellower's stomach. “Don't stop.”

He hummed, continuing stroking her. 'Funny good' seemed like a fitting description. The fire in his stomach grew.

“Woah!” Raze suddenly straightened up. “Look at this!”

Bellower followed her gaze – and yes, his member was acting up (quite literally). It seemed larger, harder – and in the next second Raze grabbed it.

“Ow!” Bellower stiffened, and she immediately released her hold.

“Sorry, sorry!” Raze gave his shaft an apologetic stroke. “I'll be careful.”

Bellower's original plan to protest and get his sensitive parts away from her grabby hands was discarded immediately, because those gentler touches felt good. Very good, actually. So good that he'd do anything to get more.

“Don't... stop,” he muttered, and Raze's eyes narrowed in excitement.

“Oh! You like it?” She continued stroking him, this time with deliberate care. “Touch me too!”

Bellower blinked, trying to gather up his scattered thoughts. Touch her... right! The human male also stroked the female between her legs. But Raze didn't like that before...

Maybe the secret was in doing it gently.

But when he ran his fingers between her folds, he sensed wetness – and immediately pulled his hand away.

“Sorry! Did I...” He paused, staring at his fingers. No blood. The liquid coating them turned out to be viscous and clear.

“I'm not hurt,” Raze said. “I guess it's supposed to be wet.”

Bellower wasn't so sure, but decided to study this issue later. He trusted Raze to tell him if something was wrong. Carefully, he brought his hand back between her legs and tried caressing her again.

“Mmm... That's nice,” Raze murmured, spreading her thighs wider. Bellower felt a surge of pride. Soon they both were panting, foreheads pressed to each other and breaths mixing. It felt good... But then Bellower's fingers slipped _inside_ Raze, and both of them froze.

Bellower's member twitched. Raze gasped, grabbing his shoulder.

“I guess... That's the hole,” she said, slightly breathless, and Bellower blanched as he imagined his flesh surrounded by that tight, warm...

He pressed her to his chest, overwhelmed by the idea. Raze made a muffled sound, and it resonated through her body, sending soft vibrations through her fingers – that were still wrapped around his shaft.

Bellower let out a low groan; his member twitched, spilling a couple of drops of some liquid. Raze squirmed in his embrace, and he let her go, feeling a little dazed and needing... something.

“Okay, I think we should try again,” Raze said, eyes glowing brighter than usual. “Or I'm gonna explode something. Or just explode.”

Bellower hummed in agreement. He also couldn't wait anymore.

Raze lay on her pack, pulling him on top of her, which ended with them in an awkward pile, cursing.

“Ugh! You're heavy!” Raze squirmed from underneath him and pushed him back. Without further ado, Bellower simply switched places with her: now he was on his back, and Raze was straddling him.

“Better?” he smirked. This turned out to be a very good idea: this way he had a great view of Raze and his own member in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, wrapping her hand around him again, and guided him inside her.

Nothing he imagined could compare to this. Nothing _ever_ could compare to this.

Until Raze started humming again.

Bellower groaned, throwing his head back and hitting the ground with a low thud. That brought him to his senses a little, and he saw Raze watch his reactions with delight.

“That good?” She trilled. Bellower grabbed her hips.

“I will show you good,” he promised – and hummed in return, smirking as Raze's eyes widened and a shocked noise escaped her throat.

Both of them were quick learners. And nothing was more fun to learn than bringing each other pleasure.

***

“What is happening to me?!”

The longer Eyeless stayed silent, the more worried Raze got, until she was almost panicking. This weird condition appeared a couple of months ago; she started feeling... differently. She couldn't explain how differently, but lately her stomach began growing for no apparent reason.

“Well,” Eyeless uttered finally, “I cannot find any traces of illness.”

That was already good. Raze knew what illness was: during their first days on the surface several warriors have eaten some red mushrooms, which made them weak and caused their stomachs to hurt. And then there were wounds that got dirty and led to death. Illnesses were always strange and unpredictable, and Raze was happy she wasn't ill.

“I can see something strange in the threads in your stomach, some... knot?” Eyeless leaned on her staffs. “But I do not know what it means.”

“Maybe you're just eating too much, sister,” Ruin said. Raze punched her shoulder.

Concerned about her condition, she sought the council of her fellow Sundr – at least those who were around at the time. But now it was slowly becoming apparent to Raze that neither her sister, nor Eyeless, for all her wisdom, had answers to her questions.

Heavy steps behind her alerted Raze to Bellower's presence.

“I think I might provide some help,” he stated, causing the three Sundr women to immediately turn to him. Bellower cleared his throat under the scrutiny.

“This scout claims that he knows what is happening to you, Raze,” Bellower said, gently pushing a small grunt forward. The soldier visibly gulped, clearly unnerved by the four Sundr towering over him.

Raze took pity on him.

“Is this true?” she asked, sitting down on a boulder to make herself look a little less intimidating. “You know what this is?” She placed a hand on her rounded stomach.

The grunt's gaze fell on his feet.

“I... maybe, lady Raze. I just saw something similar, I think.”

“Go on.” Ruin stepped closer to her sister, crossing her arms. The grunt gulped again, but continued:

“I, um, have been watching a human village for a while. In the south. We deliberately left it alone,” he explained hastily, glancing at Bellower.

Raze nodded. Leaving some human settlements alone and sending scouts to watch them was a common practice: their people learned a lot this way – how to get milk from the yox, or how to make thin clothing out of threads. It was much more comfortable than clothes out of animal skins, and Raze herself wore a dress made this way.

“In this village, there was a female who had a big round belly. The humans were treating her normally, so I believe it wasn't a disease.” The scout finally dared to look up at Raze. “Then one day she didn't come out of her house, and I thought that maybe she did fall ill... But in a couple of days she re-emerged. She didn't have big belly anymore, but she was always carrying a bundle in her arms.”

“A bundle?” Raze leaned forward. “And what was in the bundle?”

“I... I don't know, lady Raze. The woman always held it close. I'm sorry.” The scout returned to staring at his feet mournfully, but Raze's imagination was already running wild.

“So whatever was in her stomach went to the bundle?” He eyes brightened. “I hope it's something good!”

“But the female was alive?” Bellower pressed, looming over the scout. “Was she fine?”

The scout's eyes darted between him and Raze.

“As far as I could see,” he said. “I mean... she looked tired, but happy. And other villagers were smiling at her and talking to her more than usual.”

“Then it _is_ something good!” Raze glanced at her stomach with newfound appreciation. “Fine. Let's wait and see what happens.”

Bellower appeared like he was going to say something, but Eyeless was faster.

“And I will watch over you to make sure this is indeed safe,” she said, and Bellower sighed in relief. “This might be another useful asset for our people...”

“But the bundle is mine!” Raze interrupted, covering her stomach possessively. Whatever it was, she wasn't going to just hand it over to Eyeless and her weird songs.

***

Time was passing, and Raze's stomach was growing bigger and bigger. The carvers even had to make her new, wider armor. Fortunately, she still could use her sling, flattening the varl defenses with her firestones, but Bellower insisted that she stayed out of close-range battle. The fact that Raze didn't even argue much showed just how much she felt the additional weight.

That bundle had better be worth it...

So all was going relatively well, until one day Raze just fell on her knees in the middle of a march, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. Bellower ordered a halt immediately, and Eyeless already was leading limping Raze into a hastily set up tent. No one in the army complained; in fact, a sea of yellow eyes was trained on the tent, conversations dying before they could begin.

Bellower was part of this sea himself. He tried to get into the tent together with Ruin, but Eyeless threw them both out, yelling that they would take too much space and distract her. So now Bellower was stuck outside, hands clenching around his sword every time Raze screamed.

Until her screams stopped, and another sound pierced the cool air – a high-pitched trilling wail. The absence of Raze's voice was terrifying, and Bellower ripped the tent's entrance open and rushed in.

Raze was lying on the skins, naked, Eyeless kneeling next to her – and in Raze's arms was something small, black and wiggling. The shrill wails were coming from it – but most importantly, Raze was alive, she was alive and conscious –

And then the thing opened its eyes, and Bellower gasped: they were round and yellow, like every sculptor's eyes. Now he could see that it had legs and arms, like a tiny sculptor.

Raze was also staring at the thing in shock, looking just as confused as Bellower.

“What in the world _is this_?”

***

For the second time the Sundr gathered for a council. In the middle of their circle lay puzzled but excited Raze with the strange little creature in her arms. She had already wrapped it in bandages, claiming that if it was supposed to be in a bundle, she wasn't going to argue.

“It looks like one of us, albeit a small and misshapen one,” Ruin said, leaning closer to study the creature. “But what is it for? It will be of no use in battle.”

“I tried talking to him, but he doesn't make any comprehensive sounds,” Raze added.

“He?”

“He has the dangly thing, and no breasts.” Raze winked at Bellower. “So it's one of your kind.”

Why did Bellower feel proud?

“It must be some new type of sculptor,” he said. “Remember, humans have small ones too?”

“But we already have small ones!” Ruin argued. “The grunts are our small ones. Right?”

“We've never seen small humans in battle, so they must be useful for something else.”

Ruin and Raze nodded; this sounded reasonable. But then Eyeless, who's been silent all this time, intervened.

“No, I believe this is not the case.” She tapped her chin. “Animals have small ones too, as do plants and mushrooms. And small mushrooms grow and become bigger, until they are ready to harvest. We have seen birds bring food to their small ones, until they get feathers and start looking more like normal birds.” She pointed her finger at the bundle in Raze's arms. “I believe this is a little sculptor, and it is going to grow, until it becomes one of us.”

Raze's jaw dropped, and she stared at the little creature with awe.

“He's going to grow?! Become like Bellower?” She lifted the bundle into the air, glancing between it and Bellower. “And he came from inside me? Does it mean that I... created him?” Her voice broke into a whisper at this last, blasphemous notion. None of them had ever heard of sculptors creating more sculptors. Only their god could create; their purpose was to destroy.

For a moment a tense silence hung in the tent, until it was broken by the thud of Eyeless's staffs hitting the ground.

“Like Ruin and you came from the same stone, this little one came from your stone. So it is your kin.”

Bellower released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. After Eyeless said it out loud, it became easier to accept it.

“But how did he get inside me?” Raze put the tiny sculptor back on her lap. “How come nobody created one like this before?”

Ruin and Bellower looked back at Eyeless, automatically hoping that their wisest one would have the answers. And, as always, Eyeless did not disappoint.

“I believe it is clear,” she stated, straightening her back and gripping her staffs. “We Sundr all have our abilities. I see the threads that none of you can see; Ruin can change the weight of objects; Bellower cannot die even when his heart is pierced. As for you, you can explode stone – and create little ones.”

“Woah,” Raze stared at the bundle in her arms with wide eyes. “I didn't even know.”

The little creature squirmed in its swaddling and started making soft warbles of distress. They were high-pitched, but Bellower recognized them: these were the sounds wounded or terrified soldiers sometimes made. Cold dread dug its claws in his heart.

“He's crying! Why is he crying?” Raze looked like she was ready to cry herself. “Is he hurt?”

“Let me check.” Eyeless dropped to her knees next to Raze's bed and pointed at the tent's exit. “You two, get out.”

Bellower and Ruin exchanged glances, but complied without argument. They were warriors; they knew nothing of healing and creation. Instead they settled down outside the tent, ignoring their soldiers' worried looks and trying to catch any sound coming from the inside.

Until Eyeless emerged from the tent. For her lack of facial expressions, she appeared confused.

“Raze is calling for you,” she said absent-mindedly. “We seem to have found a solution...” She hummed under her breath, deep in thought, but Bellower and Ruin didn't listen further, as they were already bumping into each other in the narrow entrance to the tent.

Raze was laying on her bed, as before. Her chest was bare, and the little sculptor was latched onto one of her breasts... suckling?

Raze beamed at them and waved her hand.

“Bellower, Ruin! Look! This is what they are for!” She pointed at her breasts.

Ruin squinted.

“For sucking?”

“There is some liquid coming out! It tastes like yox milk.” Raze looked at the little one with pride. “I put him on my chest and he started looking for something, and the moment he found it he started suckling. Such a smart one!” She stroked the little one's head. “I think he was just hungry.”

“Yox milk?” Ruin cupped her own chest; she appeared disappointed. “Mine don't make anything like that.”

“You can heal yourself instead, this is something I cannot do.” Raze's voice was a little apologetic, but in the next moment her eyes brightened again. “I wonder what he would be able to do when he grows up! I bet he'd have some amazing abilities.”

Bellower didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. He was staring at Raze and the little bundle in her arms, and the familiar warmth he usually felt next to Raze was growing – changing. And maybe it was Eyeless's little rebellion earlier affecting him – but suddenly he realized that fighting the surface folk and wreaking destruction upon their lands was not his main purpose anymore.

This – this new life in Raze's arms, the joy in her eyes, the wonder of new discoveries – this was more important. And if one day he had to choose between this and his original purpose, he knew what he would choose.

***

It was a celebration, even though nobody called it this. The news about the tiny sculptor traveled around the camp, becoming more exaggerated with every hour, so when a couple of days later Bellower announced that they were all welcome to see it, the excitement in the air became palpable.

Raze was sitting on a boulder, holding the little one in her arms, her eyes glowing with pride. She unwrapped the swaddling, so that everyone could see the new life she created. Bellower stood behind Raze, watching over her and her precious burden.

Squad by squad, regiment by regiment, their army was walking past her, awestruck gazes glued to the tiny sculptor. The little one stared at them with the same wide-eyed expression, until he got tired and fell asleep. Raze accepted congratulations and well wishes with graceful nods, but what really struck her were the looks on her soldiers' faces. She didn't have words to describe them yet, but they were _good_ , those looks, astonished and unsure yet full of warmth. The looks of people who have just seen a better future.

They could create. _She_ could create. There was something their race could bring to this world that wasn't death and destruction. Raze wanted to build now – to build a house where her little one would grow in safety, to make him clothes out of the softest threads, to hear him speak and laugh, and help him learn the joy of discovery. To share this world with him.

But to do this, they needed to win the war first. Bellower put a hand on her shoulder, a silent promise, and she cast a tender glance at him. They were the Sundr, powerful and mighty, and they had numerous armies behind them. Raze's little one would be one of them.

And they would win this better future under the yellow sun.

 

**Author's Note:**

> In the end, Bellower did agree to the peace treaty with the Valka, despite the death of his family. He did choose life and peace over vengeance and destruction.


End file.
